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German Guarding breed; which says a lot. Has your friend ever owned a German breed? Very smart, Independent, somewhat needs a stronger hand-experienced dog person, if there's no leadership they will fill the gap, can be a bit stubborn, but if you earn their respect, they'll do anything for you. Train them Young, establish who's in charge, and your good. I love the German breeds; they have a particular (prove that your worthy) mind-set, but you need to be able to control them, especially the big ones; because while they might not start anything, they will finish it. They are definitely not as forgiving as other breeds. Still my grandparents had a rescue Dobie for many years, I played with her even rode her around (from about 5 up). The rescue did a very good job, of socializing and training her. She was a great family dog, loving and playful with her family. She was a great protection dog as well, If Princess didn't know you, you would not come in that gate. Which is pretty much describes a Dobie in a nut-shell.

Last edited by Hunt'EmUp; 10-01-2013 at 01:20 PM.

"They's Just DAWGS"
"Hunting is a skill to be learned whether you do it early or late it still needs to be learned"
"I train dogs, Not papers"

We had a pair (one male, one female) when I was very young. I loved them and upon reflection, they were very dedicated to us. Do you know of any reputable breeders they could contact? What health clearances should they look for?

They can be wonderful dogs but your friend needs to do his homework about temprement and health problems. I personallly would avoid blue coloration at all costs and much prefer the standard black and tan. Ear trimming is a personal matter but untrimmed ears are increasing more acceptable.

Had a Female when I was younger, still to this day one of the best dogs I have ever had ! She was very freindly and wouldn't hurt anyone BUT she sure would keep visitors to our house in there car till we came out to greet them! Although she wouldn't have hurt them she would make them think she was going to tear them up ! She was a great watch dog and loved all us kids.

As an insurance agent, I would make sure your friend checks with his agent prior to purchasing any of "The Breeds Listed"; doberman,rottweiller,pit bull, ect. State Farm is the only carrier I know of that doesn't have a "List' per sey but they can and will drop coverage at will for unacceptable breeds.

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody is watching"....J.C. Watts

German Guarding breed; which says a lot. Has your friend ever owned a German breed? Very smart, Independent, somewhat needs a stronger hand-experienced dog person, if there's no leadership they will fill the gap, can be a bit stubborn, but if you earn their respect, they'll do anything for you. Train them Young, establish who's in charge, and your good. I love the German breeds; they have a particular (prove that your worthy) mind-set, but you need to be able to control them, especially the big ones; because while they might not start anything, they will finish it. They are definitely not as forgiving as other breeds. Still my grandparents had a rescue Dobie for many years, I played with her even rode her around (from about 5 up). The rescue did a very good job, of socializing and training her. She was a great family dog, loving and playful with her family. She was a great protection dog as well, If Princess didn't know you, you would not come in that gate. Which is pretty much describes a Dobie in a nut-shell.

Just about as good a summary as you will get!! ...Oh, and they don't bark often!!!...another asset depending on how you look at it??...which makes them even better as a 'real protector' !

In terms of color, I basically agree that it is best to stick with black or red. The blues and fawns are "dilution" colors. While some breeders who get them swear it never happens to theirs, I have never known one who didn't have skin and coat problems by middle age. It is called color dilution alopecia (cda) and here is an article from the dpca (doberman pinscher club of America). Basically most good breeders do genetic testing to insure that we do not produce dilution colors.

It is called ear cropping not trimming. (Then she went a little ballistic. ...)

Yes, do your homework! Dobes are wonderful dogs but they are high drive and intelligent and thus not for everyone. In terms of temperament, different breeders often have very different ideas about what constitutes a good temperament so it is best to spend some time with the dogs. They tend to adore THEIR people and are only content when near them (often called Velcro-dobes). In terms of health, the big killer is dilated cardiomyopathy (dcm). Any breeder who claims that they don't have it in their lines is either ignorant or dishonest. The genetic test is not predictive at all. So, the only thing you can do is be sure parents have had annual evaluations (echo and/or holter) and try to look for longevity in the pedigrees. There are other concerns too, have a look at the dpca health site for more info.

Since this was on a retriever forum, I will add that dobermantalk is a pretty good forum for information on dobes.

I have trained about a dozen or so for guard dog and protection work. Took a two year leave of absence from a law enforcement career in the early 1970's for a Chief Security dog training job in the City of Chicago.
We did everything from home obedience to personal protection dogs, guard dogs for businesses in the City North to the South side. Anyway three of my most memorable experiences training Dobes I can't forget.
Dobe #1 a rather small 55 lbs male red/black guy was trained by myself and sold to a jewelry store owner around 6500 South and a bad neighborhood even back then. I would go to the store once a week and help the new owner with the dog. He had him leashed to his waist in the store. Couple thugs tried to rob him and "Spartan" bit one and chased the other out of the store, both were caught and prosecuted.
Dobe #2 was a 90 pound red male. He was sold to a "layoff" man in the City as protection. The new owner came up to the kennel on the Northside, wearing boots, gloves, three pairs of pants and a heavy coat! He would look the other way when I told him to have Hientz sit and then pet him. He was scared to death of the dog. We finaly got him mostly over his fear and gave him a few more lessons , never saw the guy again. Hopefully he protected him as he picked up his winnings. Dobe #3 was a young year old personal dog of a young Park Ranger that he wanted to train for police work. We tested the dog by doing some agitation work, even as I recall did some springboard agitation. Couldn't get the little guy to show any aggression. Finaly I lightly slapped him along the face, and back off as though I was fearful, nothing!
The third time and as I type can still see the scar through my right hand as be bit through the web of my hand, just wasn't quick enough! I guess Ranger figured he had enough of the crap from that hissing guy and getting slapped on the side of his head. He went on to many years as a trained K-9 for the park district and helped with a number of arrests. What all these guys had in common was high drive, very intelligent,
dogs as Keith indicated. Again these were older dogs from a year to about 18 months old, not young pups. Healthwise I am not familiar with issues although Spartan had issues from an enlarged prostrate and passed blood on occasion in his stools . I returned to my leave of absence job and lost tract of him. Have not thought about the above for a number of years, some fond memories and some not so fond, but, thought it might be of interest from a trainers standpoint.